Free to Love
by fheebi
Summary: Anna runs away telling Yoh that he's already free to love whoever he wants. Yoh then tries to find her but she doesn't want to come back....well, just read it! [AnnaxYoh]Raed T for future attempted suicide.
1. F2L Chapter 1

Free to Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King!

A/N: This is my first fanfic here! Please forgive me if I have any grammatical mistakes. Please review at the end!

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Chapter 1

"Cheers!"

"Wow! I can't believe we've known each other for exactly ten years now! It seems only yesterday when I met you guys for the shaman tournament!" Horo-Horo exclaimed as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "We were only kids back then and now we're grown-ups!"

"You don't look like much of a grown-up to me." Ren scowled as he watched Horo-Horo wolf down nearly all the food.

Horo-Horo grabbed Ren by the collar. "What did you say!" He spat.

"I said that you don't look like much of a grown-up to me you childish little git!" Ren yelled back, "Now let go of me you disgusting buffoon!"

"Why I—!" Horo-Horo was about to punch Ren but Pirika stopped him.

"Stop it, Horo-Horo!" Pirika pulled her brother away from Ren. "Don't fight in front of the food! And you!" Pirika glared at Ren, "Stop insulting my brother!"

"Well tell him to grow up!" Ren argued. "I can't believe he's still that immature little slob I met ten years ago!"

Pirika's voice began to tremble, "My brother...is _not_…" Pirika grabbed Ren's collar with both hands and lifted him from the ground. "An immature little slob!"

"Yeah!" Horo-Horo cheered, "Go Pirika!"

"Hey! Stop it, you guys!" Manta and the others laughed as the watched Pirika and Ren argue.

Ren managed to stand on the ground again and grab Pirika's collar. He pulled her close to him and stared into her blue eyes angrily, "Grrr…"

A small tremble of fear went over Pirika but she kept her hold on his collar and glared back. "Rrrr..."

"Kiss!" Chocolove yelled. "Kiss!"

The others joined in. "Kiss!"

Ren and Pirika suddenly realized how close their faces were. Immediately, the two pushed away from each other and blushed in a very deep color of red. Everybody laughed at them. Well, almost everybody.

Yoh chuckled and took another sip of his drink. As he did, his eyes fell on Anna who was eating quietly across him. _'She's been oddly quiet these past few weeks._' Yoh thought as he stared at her. Anna had barely opened her mouth ever since Manta suggested that they all watch this really scary movie three weeks ago. Ever since that night, she had not ordered Yoh or anybody to wash the dishes, clean the toilet, cook meals, or clean the house. She didn't even yell at him when she caught him listening to music instead of doing his daily exercises. Sure he liked the peace and quiet for a while. But, when she had been quiet for so long, he knew something was bothering her. Something's wrong. And he doesn't like what it's doing to her at all.

"Hey Yoh?"

Yoh took his mind off of Anna and looked at Horo-Horo. "What is it, Horo-Horo?"

"Since we're already done with school and you're already in the right age to marry, aren't you supposed to be preparing your wedding? You're still going to marry Anna, right?" He asked. Chocolove, Manta, Ryu, Amidamaru, Tokagero, Jun, Li Bai Long, Horo-Horo, Faust, and even Lyserg grinned teasingly.

Color started to make their way up to Yoh's cheeks. "Huh? Um…er…" He looked away, uncertain of what to answer. He looked at Anna who was… Yoh nearly fell back. Anna's blushing?

Anna closed her eyes and opened them to cast an angry look at the others. "What a stupid question." She stood up and left the room.

All of them stared at the door in confusion. "Stupid question?" Manta repeated.

'_Anna?'_ Yoh began to wonder why Anna left so quickly without even saying 'Of course he'll marry me. I'm going to be shaman queen.' Or something like that. Again, Yoh felt that something wrong was going on. It's so unlikely of Anna to just walk out like that. _'I better follow her.'_

He grinned at the others, "What she meant was… Of course I'm going to marry her! She is betrothed to me, right?"

"Right." But Manta did not look at him. "I wonder why she…"

"I don't know." Yoh stood up. "I better follow her. I'll be back soon. For the meantime, forget about that and…have fun!" Yoh walked out of the room and directly went to Anna's room.

"Anna? It's me. Open the door." He knocked on the door. "Anna?" Yoh opened the door only to find an empty room. Well, almost empty. Her books were still there and so was her guitar. But her closet was wide open and it was empty. _'Don't tell me she left!'_ Yoh said in his mind as he ran back downstairs and out of the house. "Anna!"

He was just in time. Anna was just about to leave when he came.

"Yoh?" Anna turned around and looked at him. Her bag slipped from her hand and fell on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

Yoh slowed his pace as he walked towards her. He looked down into her troubled big black eyes and sighed. "I was looking for you. Where are you going? Why are you leaving without even saying goodbye?"

This was one of the very few times (well except for the past few weeks) that he had seen her like this. No anger in her face. Not wearing her bossy old look. Just nothing but pure sadness and trouble written across her face. Yoh had wished he would never see her like this again.

Anna looked at the ground trying to get back her cool confident old self. But it was hard. Knowing that this may be the last time she would see him made it so hard for her to hide her feelings unlike before. "I'm going back home." She replied, trying not to make her voice quiver. "I didn't say goodbye because…" She struggled to make up a good lie. "Because you guys would be happy to get me out of your hair. What's the point of saying goodbye when the people I'm going to say it to would simply love it if I would go? I'm a real pain. I know that. All of you would be ecstatic knowing that I'm going."

"No we wouldn't." Yoh told her, "I know _I_ wouldn't. Why would I be delighted about that?" He placed his hand under her chin and made her look at him, "You're a really special friend, Anna. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be like this. I wouldn't become shaman king. You're an important part of my life. I would be miserable if you leave. Even if you said goodbye." Yoh looked into Anna's eyes. "Hm…something tells me that wasn't the reason why you didn't say goodbye."

Getting a little of her old self back, Anna pushed his hand away and looked at the ground, "What are you talking about? Of course that's the reason! What other reason would there be?"

"Anna…" Yoh rolled his eyes and placed his hands into his pockets. "I know you're lying. You can always tell me the truth, Anna. What really is the true reason why you didn't say goodbye? And why are you leaving?"

"I am not lying." She snapped and picked up her bag. "If you don't believe me then fine! I'm no longer going to entertain your questions! And my reason is none of your business, Yoh. By the way, the wedding's off." She added before stomping away.

Anna hoped Yoh wouldn't follow…but he did.

"Anna!" Yoh ran after her and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Let me go!" Anna tried to pull away her arm but he held on tight. "I'm going to miss the train!"

"I'm not letting go until you at least tell me why you are leaving! And why is the wedding off?" Yoh tightened his grip when she tried to pull away again. "Why Anna?"

Anna stopped pulling and glared at him, "You're making this hard for me, Yoh."

"You're making it hard for me too, Anna."

Anna sighed and threw her bag to the ground. "Fine. I'll tell you why if you let go of me!" When Yoh released her, she avoided looking at him. She took a deep breath and tried to decrease the pain she was feeling.

"Have you ever actually _liked_ the decision our parents made for us?" She asked with a trembling voice.

Yoh scratched his head and looked down at the ground, "I never really though about that. But, whether I like it or not, we still have to obey, right? I know_ you_ like the decision."

"Do you know why?"

"Of course I do!" Yoh said, "You want to be shaman queen. You always wanted to be shaman queen ever since we were little."

"No…" She murmured.

He moved closer, "What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"I love you, Yoh!" Anna exclaimed as she looked at him. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I had always loved the idea of getting married to you not just because I get to be shaman queen! It's because I love you! I always have! I loved you ever since we were children, Yoh! I had loved you even if I was too young to understand the true meaning of love. I really loved you. But I didn't really know how to act around you. Then I saw how your grandmother treats your grandfather so I…" She sniffed back her tears.

"Anna…" Yoh began. But Anna wasn't done yet.

"When our parents finally told us that we're betrothed to each other, I was ecstatic. It was like a dream come true, Yoh. But you…you said you'll only do it because your parents wanted us to be married. You didn't look happy at all…" Anna's hands began to curl into balls of fists. "All you ever wanted was to become shaman king. You never liked me back the way I do. You loved your dream more than me. So I respected your dream and I even joined your grandfather in training you. It was hard to hide my feelings while training you at first, but I got used to it. During all those times when I was giving you a hard training, I tried hard not to feel sorry. After all, you really wanted to be shaman king and I was helping you to be one. Then, your grandmother told me that I could be shaman queen if you become king. I used this excuse to hide what I really feel."

She paused and looked down waiting for Yoh to speak. When he didn't, she continued. "When you left Izumo, I couldn't sleep at all. All I could ever think about was you. I wondered if you were okay. I wondered if you got here safely. I also wondered if you were still doing your training. It wasn't long before I couldn't take it anymore and I followed you. But I didn't follow you here just to train you, Yoh… I also wanted to make you fall in love with me. But no…" Her tears broke out of her control and they began to pour out from her eyes. "You didn't. I tried to make you fall in love with me! I really tried! Even if I was always yelling at you and giving orders! I tried really hard, Yoh! I did… But…after the movie we watched three weeks ago, I realized that you can't… You can't because you like somebody else. It's Tamao, right? I was a fool to think that you would fall in love with me. You like Tamao better than me…why didn't I think of that before? After all, she is nicer and prettier than me... I think that leaving you two would be a good decision. I should leave the two of you…so you can be happy together." She paused to wipe her tears away. "There. I told you the reason why I'm leaving. Happy?"

"Anna I…"

"You're free now, Yoh Asakura." Anna told him as she picked up her bag once more. "You're free to choose whoever you want to marry now. Take good care of Tamao or whoever she might be. Okay? Love her and forget that there was an Anna Kyoyama who bossed you around in your life…And don't even think about sending some great spirit to go looking for me…Goodbye, Yoh." She gave him a quick hug and ran away towards the city leaving a speechless Yoh Asakura on the street.

"But…Anna…" As if just realizing she had just left, Yoh ran after her. "Anna! Anna!" But it was no use running. She was already out of sight. "Anna!" Yoh slowed down into a stop and fell back on the ground as if his life was suddenly taken away from him. He looked up at the dark sky above him. There was no moon and no stars in the sky. Just these dark clouds.

"Anna…"

He tried hard to imagine Anna standing above him but…all of a sudden…he forgot her face. He forgot the face that had haunted him for so long.

"Anna…don't go…"

He continued to lie on the street as rain began to pour down. He didn't get up to run for cover. He couldn't. He felt as if his world had just come crashing down onto him.

"Anna…"

Tears crept down his cheeks joining the drops of rain that fell on him.

"Anna…"

His memories of her came flashing in front of his eyes. It was too fast making it hard for him to see her. But he still watched them until his world went black.

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A/N: That's it for chapter one! I hope you guys liked it. Please review!


	2. F2L Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm sorry it took me a few days to update. I couldn't think straight lately. Anyway, here's chapter 2! By the way, Yoh, Manta, Ryu, and Ren are a band here.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own them.

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**Chapter 2**

_Yoh looked around. He was home. He was back home sitting on the cool grass. But…how? He heard voices behind him…a child talking to himself. He turned around and his mouth fell open. There, sitting under the large cherry blossom tree, was his seven-year-old self planning his future and what he would do if he became shaman king. "What the—? What's going on? This must be a dream. I better get up."_

_But he can't get up yet. Little Anna had just walked towards the little Yoh._

"_What are you doing here?" She snapped. "Are you done with your training?"_

"_Yes, Anna." Yoh replied, "I meditated for two hours just like what grandpa said."_

_Anna crossed her arms, "And are you done with the push-ups I told you to do?"_

"_Yup!" He lied. Yoh stood up and grinned, "Hey Anna, want to play a game?"_

"_What kind of game?" Anna slowly backed away as if she already knew what Yoh wanted to play._

_Yoh smirked, "I think you already know, Anna." Anna began to run around with Yoh at her tail. Yoh gave her a threatening look when ever she looked back making her run even faster._

"_Stop chasing me!" She yelled, "I order you to stop!"_

_The older Yoh sat down on the grass again as he watched his younger self and a young Anna run around. Those were the times when he had attempted to soften Anna up by trying to play games with her and trying to make her laugh._

"_Gotcha!" The young Yoh jumped and caught Anna's feet._

"_Ah! Let go of me!" She shrieked. "Let go of—!" Laughter stopped her words as Yoh tickled her sides._

_Their joined laughter echoed as Yoh's surroundings began to disappear. He closed his eyes. It was one of his fondest memories of her. It used to make him smile. Now, it makes him feel as if his heart was being beaten up by all of the shamans in the world._

'_I loved you ever since we were children, Yoh.'_

'_I tried to make you fall in love with me! I really tried!'_

"But Anna…"

'_You're free now, Yoh Asakura.'_

'_Goodbye, Yoh…'_

"No…Don't leave me, Anna." He reached out into the darkness. He searched for her hand…her face…anything. Anything that would just tell him that Anna did not leave at all. "Anna…" Then he felt it. Two hands holding his and leading them to a soft cheek. But… it doesn't feel like Anna.

Slowly, Yoh opened his eyes and turned to the one who took his hand. At first, he could only see a blurry figure with a touch of pink on where the head is supposed to be. He knew who it was. "Tamao? Is that you?" His eyes finally adjusted and he could see her perfectly know. Yes, it is Tamao Tamamura.

'…_you like somebody else. It's Tamao, right?'_

Yoh pulled his hand away from her immediately and tried to sit up. "What happened?"

Tamao helped him sit up. "Silva and Manta went out looking for you and Anna when both of you left. They found you lying on the street. They said you nearly got run over by a car." A sigh escaped from her lips, "It was a good thing they came just in time. You were asleep for two days and you also had a very high fever." She placed a hand over his forehead, "It seems like the fever is gone now."

Yoh gently pushed her hand away and looked around, "Uh…yeah. Where are the others? Where are Ryu, Ren, and Manta? I have to talk to them about…"

"Your recording session?" Tamao interrupted. "Ryu said the date's been moved since you were sick."

"Oh." Yoh looked down thinking about what happened last night. "Um…Tamao?"

"Yes, Yoh?"

"Could you leave me alone with Amidamaru for a minute? I need to talk to him." He reached for the tombstone he carved, "And can you call Manta and Ryu? I have something to tell them too."

Tamao nodded, "Okay, but you have to eat while you're talking to them." She took a tray with a bowl of soup on top of it and placed it on his lap.

"Thanks, Tamao. I'm really hungry." He smiled weakly at her as she went out of his room.

"Amidamaru?"

Amidamaru floated out of the tombstone and hovered beside him. "It's good to see you awake, Yoh."

"It's good to see you too, Amidamaru." Yoh looked at the bowl of soup sitting on his lap. "Erm…Amidamaru, did you ever get confused…about love?"

"Love?" Amidamaru blinked, "Never. Why? What's the matter, Yoh?"

"It's Anna…" He looked at the door, "And Tamao too." He looked at his soup again and took a sip. "You see, Anna told me she loves me last night."

Amidamaru looked surprised, "She did?"

"Yes." Yoh leaned back on his pillow and sighed. "She loved me ever since we were children."

"And do you love her in return?" Amidamaru asked.

Yoh sighed again, "I don't know."

"That's where Tamao comes in, right?"

"Yes." He took another sip of his soup before continuing, "Tamao's really nice, Amidamaru. She really cares about me a lot. She doesn't yell and boss other people like Anna… A few years ago, I thought about talking to Anna about reconsidering the marriage. I had a crush on Tamao then…but I realized that…"

"That you like Anna too?" Amidamaru smiled and placed a hand on Yoh's shoulder. "Would you mind telling me why you like Anna?"

"I can't really explain it." Yoh placed the tray and bowl on the floor. "I don't really know why I like her. Probably because she was the one who trained me to become shaman king. Or…or maybe because I liked tickling her when we were little." A small smile began to form on his lips. "Or maybe because she looks so cute whenever she orders people around…and, when she hides her true feelings, she acts so confident and strong. I always saw her true feelings in her eyes…her beautiful big black eyes. But I never saw love in them. Maybe a little but I never thought it was really love. I never really thought she loves me." That small smile on his lips disappeared, "She was really hard to predict when it comes to that kind of thing but I could really tell whenever something's bothering her. I wish I saw that love before. Maybe if I did…I wouldn't have this crush on Tamao…I wouldn't be so confused right now…and Anna wouldn't have left."

"Mosuke once had the same trouble." Amidamaru told Yoh.

Yoh looked up at his guardian ghost, "He did?"

"Yes." Amidamaru crossed his arms and recalled what happened to Mosuke when they were teenagers. "He liked this girl in town. She was a doctor's daughter. I think her name was Hikaru. Hikaru was the one who cured him when a tree fell on his leg (it was my fault. I was practicing that time). He liked her ever since that day. But, one rainy night, his little brother got a dangerously high fever and we had to take him to Hikaru's father. Hikaru was already asleep that night but her younger sister was awake. Her name was Himiko. She tried to calm down Mosuke who was freaking out _and_ helped her father cure his brother. The next day, he fell in love with her too. He became so confused about them that he didn't sleep, eat, or talk much for nearly a month."

"Really? What did he do about it?"

"He met with Hikaru one day and Himiko on the next day. Then, he thought about why he loved both of them and about how he really felt when he is with either one of them." Amidamaru sighed, "It took him nearly two weeks to think about that. He chose Hikaru in the end. But…"

Yoh raised his eyebrows, "But what?"

"Hikaru died when he was about to tell her that he chose her." Amidamaru sighed again, "She picked up a disease from a patient…"

"Whoa…he must've had a tough time."

"Mosuke tortured himself saying that he should have told her earlier." Amidamaru looked at the ground in silence for a minute before looking at Yoh again. "Mosuke thought about his feelings for each girl. What about you? What will you do?"

Yoh linked his fingers together and looked at them, "I want to find Anna…and, while I'm at it, I should think about my feelings like what Mosuke did. But I won't let myself think that long." He gave Amidamaru a small grin.

His guardian ghost grinned back, "It would be a big mistake if it will take you that long to think."

The door suddenly opened and Manta's voice came to their ears. "Think about what?"

"Manta! Ryu!" Yoh exclaimed, "How are you guys?"

"Oh we're fine." Manta replied as he and Ryu sat beside Yoh's futon. "What about you, Yoh? Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." Yoh grinned, "I think I can go to the recording session on saturday."

"No way, man." Ryu shook his head. "You're not well enough. We'll do it after a week. Once you're completely well."

"But I am!" Yoh said, "Come on, Ryu. I slept for two days straight. I'm fine now. If you want, we'll do it the day after tomorrow."

"Are you sure, Yoh?"

"Of course I am!" Yoh looked at his lap with a smile that slowly began to disappear. _'What are you doing? Keep smiling! Or else they'll think…'_

"He's lying. Isn't he, Amidamaru?" Manta asked Yoh's guardian ghost.

"Yoh is physically well, Manta." Amidamaru replied, "But he is not well deep inside."

"Why?" Ryu asked, "What's the matter, Yoh?"

"Is it about…" Manta hesitated for a while before saying, "Anna?"

Yoh gave a small nod before he lied back down on his back with his hands on the back of his head. "Erm…Can you guys do me a favor?"

"Sure!" Manta said at once.

"What is it that you want us to do, Yoh?"

"Can you guys go to Izumo and look for Anna there?" Yoh gave a hopeful smile to the ceiling, "She told me last night that she'll be going back home so she has to be there."

"Sure Yoh." Manta said, "We'll go there immediately this afternoon."

"Uh…I hope you don't mind me asking you this Yoh but…" Ryu looked at Amidamaru and back at Yoh again, "Why did Anna leave?"

That wiped of the smile on Yoh's face. He stared at the ceiling for a while searching for a way to tell the two the reason briefly. "She wanted me to be free." He began, "She cancelled the wedding and told me to choose whoever I want to be my shaman queen."

Ryu and Manta's jaws dropped to the floor, "What?"

"But I thought Anna really wanted to be shaman queen." Manta said.

"She did." Yoh darkened his look at the ceiling, "But what she really wanted was…for me to love her back."

"Love her back?" Ryu repeated.

Manta blinked. "You mean—?"

"Yes Manta. She loved me." Yoh sighed.

Manta stared at Yoh's saddened expression. "Uh…Yoh…do you love her back?"

"Oh, come one Manta!" Ryu said, "Yoh never loved—."

"I don't know." Yoh replied, ignoring Ryu. "I have to think about it."

"I don't get it…" Ryu said after a few moments of silence, "You're shaman king, Yoh, why can't you just use your powers to look for her?"

"She doesn't want me to use my powers… Erm…" Yoh bit his lip. He has to think of something to cheer himself up. It only hurts him more to talk about her leaving. He would feel a lot better if the thought of her going back stayed in his mind. What could cheer him up in a moment like this?

Yoh sat up, "I'd rather not talk about this right now." He looked down for a while before flashing Manta and Ryu a grin. "I'm really hungry! Can you guys get me a double cheeseburger?"

Ryu's eyes widened but Manta smiled at Yoh. "Sure thing pal! Come on let's get Yoh a double cheeseburger."

"Alright." Ryu stood up with Manta and left the room.

"Make it triple!" Yoh called after them.

"You should get some rest if you want to do a recording session soon, Yoh." Amidamaru suggested.

"Um…maybe later." Yoh placed his hands behind his head and looked up, "I expect the others will be coming by later. Tamao would have told the whole world right now that I already woke up." Yoh chuckled.

Amidamaru gave Yoh a smile but, inside, he frowned. Yoh was deeply hurt by Anna's decision but he still managed to hide all of his sorrow. _'If he keeps hiding his feelings, he could blow up.'_

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A/N: Okay…so it wasn't as great as the first chapter. I'm really really sorry! I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow. Promise! Please review! 


	3. F2L Chapter 3

**A/N: **As promised, I updated today! By the way, I would like to thank **explicit-simplicity, BabyKaoru-Sama, Holy Girl, fate-star, kimbie-animegal-sasusaku-sa…(It's not complete from the page I'm looking at, sorry!), Prime Objective, acho0bl3ssU, and Hannah-asakura **for all of the reviews. Thanks a bunch, guys!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shaman King.

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**Chapter 3**

'_I hope Ryu and Manta will find Anna there.'_

"Bye, guys!" Yoh called to Ryu and Manta from his window, "And thanks."

"Bye, Yoh!" Manta and Ryu both waved at Yoh before they rode off on Ryu's motorcycle.

A sigh escaped from Yoh's lips as he turned around and sat down on his futon again. He had spent the whole day trying to find time to think on his own. After Ryu and Manta came, Lyserg, Horo-Horo and Pirika came by. Then Chocolove came followed by Jun and Li Bai Long. Faust was even visiting his room after every few hours to give him a check-up. Next thing he knew, it was three o' clock already. Yoh looked at the door. _'I think I have some time to think now. I hope nobody will come over for a while.'_

He reached under his pillow and pulled out a small photo album. He had pulled this out earlier after lunch but was forced to put it aside when Chocolove came. It was no ordinary album that contained solo pictures of him and all of his friends. It contained him alright, but it also contained a childhood friend of his. Only the pictures he shared with Anna are in there.

He ran his fingers against the black leather cover and against the gold lettering; _Yoh Asakura & Anna Kyoyama_. He had only opened this album to put pictures of Anna and him inside, but he never looked back at the old ones. Yoh frowned. He had never looked back to their past for years.

Slowly, Yoh opened the album to the front page where he and Anna had drawn themselves when they were children. Yoh drew himself as shaman king with spirits floating around him while Anna drew herself surrounded by trees and standing beside Yoh who held a really big sword. A small smile appeared on Yoh's face as he remembered when he asked her to draw on the first page of the album.

_Yoh was six years old that stormy night while Anna was just five. She couldn't go home yet so she was forced to stay in Yoh's house until the storm ceases. She was sitting beside the window in the living room while Yoh sat on the floor staring at her and humming his favorite song to himself. Both of them were bored but couldn't find anything to do._

"_Yoh…" Yoh looked up and saw his mother carrying a thick black leather book on her hands._

"_Why don't you show Anna your album?" Yoh's mother kneeled beside Yoh and gave him the thick black photo album and a box of crayons, "Both of you can draw on the first page."_

"_Mmm…" Yoh stared at it for a while, "Okay."_

_Taking the album from his mother, Yoh went to Anna and showed her the album. "Hey Anna, let's draw!" Like Yoh, Anna stared at it for a while before agreeing._

_Yoh took a black crayon and drew a line in the middle. "You draw first. I'll take the bottom part." The rain has finally stopped when both of them finished their drawings. Proudly, they presented it to Yoh's parents and they were each rewarded chocolate as a reward. It was near midnight when they finished eating and Yoh's parents insisted that Anna should stay overnight. Yoh took this as a chance to show her the pictures. _

_The two lied down on their stomachs and Yoh opened the photo album between them. "Look, Anna!" Yoh pointed a picture of him and Anna when they were three years old. It was Anna's birthday and she was dressed in a little pink kimono. She was smiling as Yoh hugged her. "Do you remember that day? It was the first day I met you."_

_Anna shook her head with a frown. Yoh grinned, "That's okay, Anna. I only remember a little! You looked so cute back then!" He added with a blush on his face._

_Anna looked at him and smiled, "Really?"_

"_Yup! Until now…" Yoh scratched his cheek and looked back at the album in embarrassment. He smiled again when Anna snuggled closer to him._

"_It's cold!" She complained. Yoh chuckled as he pulled their blanket over their shoulders and continued to point out their pictures._

"You looked so cute back then, Anna…" Yoh whispered into the air as he stared at a stolen shot of him tickling her to death. "But now…." He skipped to the most recent picture. It was taken a few months ago when they and their friends spent three days in one of Ren's cruise ships.

"_Uh…why are we wearing these again, Ren?" Yoh asked as he struggled in front of the mirror to tie his necktie properly._

_Ren gave him an exasperated sigh, "I told you, my aunt just came on board with my mother. She's going to leave tomorrow for Europe and she hasn't seen me at all during her stay. My mother insisted on having this party for her!"_

_Manta looked at Ren who has an annoyed looked on his face, "You don't like seeing your aunt, do you?"_

"_Whenever my aunt comes here, she never fails to say how grown-up I am now." Ren straightened his jacket and adjusted his tie, "And, when she sees me, she would hug me and give me loads of slobbery kisses. Ugh! She even squeals a lot. I can't stand her!"_

_Manta blinked, "She's almost like my aunt. But my aunt sings a lot and she never squeals."_

"_Whatever." Ren opened the door, "Let's go before my mother comes here to get us"._

"_Wait!" Horo-Horo held up his necktie, "I don't know how to tie my necktie!"_

_After Ren taught Horo-Horo how to tie a "stupid" necktie, the three went to the hall and met Ren's Aunt Chu. Ren was right. His aunt gave him a bear hug and covered his face with kisses. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who got the hug and kisses. One at a time, Yoh, Manta, and Horo-Horo got their own set of hugs and kisses. And, just like what Ren said, Aunt Chu gave out an ear-splitting squeal._

"_I told you so." Ren muttered to them when they finally got away from Ren's aunt._

_As the three wiped there faces, Yoh suddenly noticed that the girls were missing. "Where are Jun, Pirika, Tamao, and Anna?" Yoh looked around._

"_They're probably still getting ready." Horo-Horo said, "Girls always take long to get ready at times like this. They all have to do their make-up and pick a nice dress to wear." Horo-Horo snorted._

"_Jun, Tamao, and Pirika would take time making themselves pretty but…" Manta grinned, "I don't think Anna would care about how she looks like! I bet she's going to wear the same kind of black dress she wears everyday!"_

"_I'll take that bet, Manta."_

_The three turned to see Jun, Pirika, and Tamao standing in front of the door. The three looked stunning that night. The boys found it quite hard to keep their eyes off of them especially Ren who was staring unblinkingly at Pirika. Yoh stared at Tamao who looked back with a blush that she tried to hide with her hand._

"_Sorry we're a little late. We had to dress up Anna." Jun explained._

"_Where is Anna?" Manta asked._

_Jun, Tamao, and Pirika stepped aside letting the large wooden doors open to reveal Anna. The boys' mouths opened as they gaped at her. Yoh couldn't believe his eyes. He had never thought he would see her as beautiful as she was now. He couldn't believe what the three did to her. The long blonde hair that she usually tied in a low ponytail was laid down with a silver clip that sat on it to keep a part of Anna's bangs away from her face. A glittery black spaghetti strapped dress replaced her short black one and, instead of her red bandana, a long red shawl was placed around her trying to conceal her bare shoulders. Yoh took his eyes off of her dress and looked at her face. The other girls had gotten make-up on her but it was very light. It was just enough make-up to brighten her face a little. Anna noticed him looking at her but she looked down at the floor and pulled her shawl tighter around herself. Yoh could swear her cheeks were red._

"_Whoa! Is that really you, Anna?" Horo-Horo asked._

"_Of course it's her." Pirika said, "We did a pretty good job, didn't we?" She crossed her arms in pride._

"_You sure did!" Manta said. He looked up at Yoh who was still staring at Anna. Manta grinned and nudged him, "You don't want to leave Anna there on the doorway, don't you?"_

_Yoh shook his head and, with a slight push from Horo-Horo, he went to her and held out his arm. He smiled at her, "What about you? You don't want to stay here all night, do you?" Placing her arm around his, Anna shook her head and looked down at the floor again. Yoh's smile grew wider and, as he lead Anna inside, he glanced at Tamao who was looking back at them with a frown._

"_Hey, Yoh!" Horo-Horo yelled and held up a camera when the two looked at him. "Smile!"_

That was the first time he ever saw Anna look so shy and so pretty. "You looked so cute when we were children, Anna." Yoh smiled, "But now…you're beautiful." With a soft sigh, he closed the photo album and leaned on the wall.

"Tamao…" He muttered. He closed his eyes and recalled all the days when Tamao had taken care of him and all the times when she looked so cute with her face all red. Not once had she yelled at him and tortured him with brutal training. She had always been so gentle and so kind. She always listened agreed with him even if his ideas were quite stupid. And she always supported him all the way. She is a girl like no other. No…wait…she isn't.

Yoh could find a nice girl like Tamao anytime and anywhere. But, to find a girl like Anna, he would have to search really hard. He can't just find a bossy and annoying girl who he can put up with. And he can't just find a girl like her who had loved him ever since childhood and had waited for him for so long. He would have to search the whole world to find someone like her.

He closed his eyes tighter and tried hard to recall how he felt whenever one of them was near. Whenever Tamao helps him and takes care of his wounds, he could never stop himself from imagining what it would be like if she took care of him for the rest of his life. Whenever Anna was around, he felt tired and tortured. He often wished she would stop ordering him around and give him some rest. Sometimes, he would enjoy looking at her annoyed face when the others do something wrong. But, when she would just be quiet or when she talked to him calmly, he felt as if he could take the whole world in one big battle. When something was troubling her, a need to cheer her up always rises up inside him. When he sees her again after a very long time…he felt like his whole world was coming back into place. And when she left…it came crashing down burying him in sadness…

Yoh opened his eyes in surprise. _'I was in love with Anna and it took me this long to notice it?"_ He bit his lip and gripped his hair, _'I should've noticed it before! Urgh! I should've have gotten myself to think earlier!' _He quickly got up and ran to the door, _'I have to follow Ryu and Manta!'_ But, as soon as he opened the door, Amidamaru appeared and stopped him.

"Where are you going, Yoh?" The spirit asked.

"Back home, Amidamaru." Yoh replied as he went through Amidamaru and headed for the stairs.

Amidamaru went in front of him again. "But, Yoh, you haven't fully recovered yet. Faust told me you had a slight fever earlier."

"I'm okay, Amidamaru." Yoh told him, "I feel perfectly well."

"No, Yoh." Amidamaru shook his head, "Even if you're well, I'm not letting you go. Ryu and Manta told us not to let you leave."

"But, Amidamaru, I've already realized that…" Yoh looked down at the floor, "That I love Anna."

"You do, Yoh?"

"Yes." He answered. "That's why I have to go back home and look for her so I can tell her immediately."

"I still won't allow you to go, Yoh." Amidamaru said, "You have to wait until Ryu and Manta comes back tomorrow. If they fail, then I would even come with you to look for her."

"But Amidamaru…"

"No buts, Yoh." Amidamaru smiled, "Why don't you try to sing for her or something. Who knows, maybe the wind will take your voice to her."

Although Yoh was disappointed, he smiled up at the ghost. "Okay, Amidamaru. I'll wait until tomorrow. And I'll even write a new song for her too." He added as he turned around and went back into his room. "Thanks!"

Yoh shut the door close and leaned on it as he stared at his guitar. "Let's just hope the wind will find her so she can hear me."

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A/N: Please review! The next chapter might be posted the day after tomorrow (I have to attend something). 


	4. F2L Chapter 4

**A/N: **I'm really sorry I haven't updated for sooo LONG! Please forgive me! My computer just came home from the computer shop. It was a good thing this chapter was still in there. I'm really really sorry!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King!

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**Chapter 4**

"Where are you going, Yoh?" Tamao asked as she watched Yoh walk pass her without a greeting.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yoh turned around and looked at Tamao. "Oh hey Tamao. Sorry, I guess I didn't notice you. Ren's coming tonight and we'll hit the pool right away."

"Oh." Tamao looked at the floor, "Are you sure you're well now, Yoh?"

Yoh nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "Yup, I sure am! Thanks for watching over me for the past two days, Tamao. Amidamaru told me you nearly slept a wink."

Tamao began to blush, "Um…you're welcome, Yoh."

'_She's blushing again'_ Yoh stared at her for a while making her blush even more. He remembered thinking how 'cute' she was whenever she blushed. But, right now, he felt that he would never think of it as 'cute' as it was before. Hearing a knock on the door downstairs, Yoh turned around. "Well, I guess I'll see you at dinner."

"See you later, Yoh." She muttered.

"What took you so long?" Ren complained as Yoh opened the door.

"Sorry Ren." Yoh apologized, "I was upstairs. Come on, let's go to the pool!"

The two sat in the pool for nearly an hour without saying a word to each other. Ren looked at Yoh who had his eyes closed. He thought Yoh had forgotten about why he asked Ren to come over and fell asleep. But something in his mind told him that Yoh would never fall asleep if he had something important to tell Ren.

"_Ren? Hey there, buddy! Can you come here tonight?"_

"_And why would I want to go there?"_

"_I have something important to tell you."_

Ren sighed impatiently, "You told me you have something important to tell me, Yoh. Now shoot."

Yoh opened one of his eyes and looked at him, "What's the rush, Ren?"

"Just say it."

"Oh okay." Yoh closed his eye and sighed. "I wrote some songs earlier. Do you think we can add it to our album?"

Ren stood up and aimed his fist at Yoh, "You mean I had to come all the way here from my house just to know you wrote new songs!"

"Yeah." Yoh opened his eyes and stared into Ren's yellow ones. "But it's kind of different from our other songs."

Ren sat down again, "Different?"

Yoh nodded, "I know you may not like these but I really want to put them in there."

"But we have to practice it with the band." Ren reminded him, "We already told the studio that we'll do it on saturday."

"I know." Yoh closed his eyes again, "That's why I asked you here, Ren. I want you to sing with me in one of those songs."

"What?" Ren exclaimed, "Are you daft? Perhaps you're forgetting that I don't sing well unlike you."

"Of course you sing well, Ren. I remember hearing you sing last month." Yoh grinned at the memory. Their manager wanted each of them to sing. Ren chose to sing one of the songs he wrote.

Ren sighed, "What's the song about?"

"I knew you would agree, Ren!"

"I haven't agreed to sing with you yet!" Ren snapped, "Just tell me what the song is about. What makes it different from our other songs?"

"It's kind of like…a…" Yoh opened his eyes and looked at the water. "A love song."

"Go on…"

Yoh looked at him for a while surprised that Ren did not began to shout that he would never sing a 'stupid' love song. He looked back at the water as he continued, "It's about finding the courage to tell this certain girl that you love her."

Ren sat beside Yoh quietly for a few minutes before he said, "Alright. I'll sing the song with you."

"Really, Ren?" Yoh looked at him as if he never thought he would hear the words he had hoped Ren would say. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Ren muttered, "But, if I don't get the song right, I might as well not sing it."

"Thanks, Ren." Yoh smiled, "You're the best. Oh, and the other song's a love song too. But I want t it to be my solo. Can we add that too?"

Ren chuckled, "Yesterday, we only had a few songs and now we may have enough to complete the whole 120 minute tape! What's your other song about?"

"Well, it kind of tells a story." Yoh placed his hands behind his head and looked up at the stars above them. "The story is about a boy who likes two girls. He liked one of them because she was nice, caring, and really cute. But he doesn't know exactly why he liked the other girl. The other girl told him that she loved him so much but thought that he doesn't like her back. So she left and he felt as if his world came crashing down around him. A friend of his advised him to think really hard who he really loves. And, now that he chose the girl who left, he hopes that his words would reach her…find her…and tell her that he loves her."

Ren opened his mouth to ask where he got that story, but he stopped himself when Anna came to his mind. _'Could it be possible that the other girl was Anna?' _He asked himself, _'After all, she did left with out telling anybody but Yoh. She is Yoh's fiancée…could she possible be that girl and Yoh the boy?'_

"Erm…Yoh…" Ren hesitated. If his theory was true, Yoh might not want to talk about it.

"I know what you're thinking right now, Ren." Yoh suddenly said, "You're thinking that Anna's one of the girls in my song, right? The girl who left? Well, you're right. I made this song for her."

"You love her?" Ren asked.

"Yup, I sure do." Yoh sighed, "And, just like in the song, I don't know why I love her. She just feels so special to me and I know I'm going to die if I lose her completely."

"And who might be the other girl?"

"Tamao."

"Good." Ren murmured to himself.

"What did you say?" Yoh looked at Ren curiously but he knew exactly what Ren said.

"Nothing."

A teasing grin went across Yoh's face, "You were relieved that it wasn't Pirika. Weren't, you?"

Ren shook his head at once, "No bloody way!"

"You like Pirika!"

Ren's cheeks turned into a deep shade of red, "I do not!"

Yoh stood up and yelled, "REN LIKES PIRIKA! REN LIKES PIRIKA!"

Ren quickly stood up and placed both his hands over Yoh's mouth. "Shut up!" But Yoh didn't. Even if his voice was muffled, Yoh continued to yell about Ren. "Okay fine! I like her! Now shut UP!"

Yoh yanked Ren's hands away, "Yes sir!"

"I've always thought you like Pirika." Yoh admitted.

Ren looked at him, "You did?"

"Yup!" Yoh leaned his head back on his head again, "Ever since we went to that cruise. You couldn't stop staring at her during the party and you even danced with her!"

"Well I never thought you liked Anna." Ren said, "I expected you would like Tamao much better because it's been pretty obvious that she likes you."

"I liked her, yes, but I never thought I would _love_ her." Yoh looked at the stars, "She was a childhood friend of mine and I intend to keep our friendship. But, even though I know I'm going to marry her, I never thought of her as more than a friend. Well, as we grew up I began to like her a bit more. I never realized it but…I began to love her. I was too blinded to see it… it was unfortunate for me to only notice now that she left."

"Was it hard?" Ren asked.

"What was hard?"

"Facing the pain of her leaving and having to choose from two girls."

"The pain has never ceased, Ren." Yoh told him, "It will only disappear when I see her again. It's very painful…more painful than having to face Hao in a battle." Yoh sighed, "Having to choose between Tamao and Anna is really hard…it kind of feels like choosing between sleep and food."

Ren winced, "Sleep and food?"

Yoh grinned, "Yup! Erm…Tamao is sleep and Anna is the food. Like in choosing what is more important for you to live, I had to choose who was more important for my life."

"I don't get it…" Ren looked at the water, "Why do you love someone who likes to torture and yell at you a lot rather than someone who's kind and gentle to you?"

"I can't find the right words to tell you, Ren." Yoh replied, "All I can tell you is that I feel so different when I'm with Anna. With her around, I feel as if I can just challenge you or all of the shamans in the world. Without her, I look for her. And, when something's bugging her, I get this feeling and I try to cheer her up. My heart is completely in control whenever she comes by. Actually, when she makes me do that training program of hers, the mere thought of her boosts me up and helps me finish her training."

Ren looked at him for a while before looking back at the water again. "Do you think Anna's way of making you fall in love with her is by bossing you around?"

"Um…" Yoh thought for a few seconds, "No. When she became six, we went into separate trainings. My grandfather trained me to become a shaman, while my grandmother trained her to become an itako. My grandfather was always bossed around by my grandmother so she taught Anna to treat me like that, I guess."

"Oh, so it was your grandmother's fault then."

Yoh sniggered and looked at him. "What about you, Ren? Why do you like Pirika?"

Ren shrugged, "Probably because she's a combination of…" Ren raked his brain for examples, "A combination of Anna and Tamao, I guess. Most of the time, she acts so sweet but she has a short temper." He shrugged again, "I like it. Even if we fight a lot lately, I could never stay mad at her. I always wanted to be with her…"

"You should tell her at once…." Yoh said, "You should tell her before you lose her. It would be much harder if you waited until she was gone."

"Once I get enough courage." Ren muttered.

Yoh grinned, "You'll find the courage when the right time comes."

"Yeah, maybe I will." Ren stood up, "We better practice now. I'll stay over tonight."

Yoh stood up too with a grin on his face, "Okay. But we grab some dinner first. I'm hungry!"

'_I envy the way you hide your feelings well, Yoh.'_ Ren thought.

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**A/N:** Again, I'm sorry for the very late update. Please review! I hope you liked it! By the way, thanks for the reviews that you guys gave me! 


	5. F2L Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shaman King and the song "Maybe" (by King).

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**Chapter 5**

"We're sorry, Yoh." Manta apologized as he and Ryu walked into Yoh's house.

"We asked your grandfather and even looked everywhere." Ryu said, "But we just couldn't find Anna."

Yoh frowned for a while and looked at the floor, "Oh." He had hoped that the two will find Anna in Izumo. He clenched his fist but grinned at Manta and Ryu, "It's okay, guys."

"But Yoh…" Manta began but Yoh interrupted him.

"Really, Manta, you don't have to be sorry about it." Yoh turned around, "Come on, let's go inside. You two better rest before we go to the studio."

The two were watching Yoh disappear into the dining room when Ren's voice came. "He was hoping you two would find her. I could tell he tried hard not to get his hopes up but he did."

Manta looked at Ren and then at the floor, "Yeah…I wish we found her but she wasn't really there. We asked some people there if they saw the itako Anna Kyoyama but they said they haven't seen her for years."

Ren sighed, "Yoh doesn't know this, but I asked Jun to order a kyonshii to look for her yesterday. She hasn't called yet but I do hope they find her."

Ryu sighed, "I wonder where Anna could have gotten to?"

Just then, the phone rang and the three saw Yoh ran pass them towards the phone. "Asakura residence, Yoh speaking." He answered, hoping that Anna's voice will come at the other end.

But, to his disappointment, it was Jun. "Hello, Yoh. Can you tell my brother that I really came out empty? Li Bai Long just came back and he didn't even find a clue."

"Uh…sure I can tell him, Jun." Yoh replied, "Um…what are you looking for?"

Jun was silent for a few seconds, "We're looking for Anna, Yoh."

His eyes widened, "You are?"

"Yes." Jun answered, "Ren asked me to send a kyonshii or two to some places where she could be."

Yoh looked at Ren, "Okay, Jun. I'll tell Ren your message. Thanks, by the way. Bye." He put the phone down and looked at Ren, "Why didn't you tell me you asked Jun to look for Anna?"

Ren shrugged, "I thought I could surprise you. But, judging by the look on your face, those kyonshii guys didn't find her, right?"

Yoh nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Ren…" He smiled, "For looking for Anna even if I didn't ask you to."

"Anytime, pal." Ren said. "Come on, I can smell Tamao's cooking, breakfast is ready."

"You guys go ahead, I have to do something first." Yoh told them.

As the three went into the dining room, Yoh looked at the phone and at the window. _'Anna…' _He said in his mind,_ 'wherever you are…please…at least call me…and tell me you're safe…'_

RING!

Yoh jumped and blinked as he looked at the phone. _'Could it be…?'_ He picked up the phone, "Asakura residence, Yoh speaking."

"I know you asked Manta and Ryu to look for me in Izumo, Yoh."

Yoh's mouth fell open. "A-anna? Anna I—…"

"I also saw a kyonshii look for me. Why are you looking for me? You're just wasting your time! Tell me, why have you asked Jun, Manta, and Ryu to look for me? Do you even love me?"

Yoh opened his mouth to answer but she interrupted him.

"Of course not."

"Bu—."

"Just forget about me, Yoh. Don't even try being friends again. Like I said, live your life as if there was no Anna Kyoyama in your past! Oh, and if I found out you sent someone out again to look for me…I'll make sure you'll wish you never wanted to find me." And, with that, she slammed the phone.

Yoh stood there silent but with his mouth open. He slowly and shakily placed the phone down. "If you don't want others to look for you…then I will." He picked up the phone again.

"The recording session's been moved to next week." Yoh announced as he entered the dining room.

Ren choked on his food, "What?"

"I called our manager earlier." Yoh told them as he sat down beside Ryu and Manta. "I told him I'm going to write two more songs and I have something important to do. He said it was okay."

"Two more songs?" Ren repeated. "But you had just written two songs the other day!"

"You did?" Manta asked, "Does that mean you're going to add four new songs to our album? Wow, Yoh. I know I can't write songs that fast."

Yoh told them about the two songs he wrote the other day and the songs he was about to write. "I wish to dedicate them to Anna and…" He looked at Ren, "Ren wants to dedicate one of the songs to…"

"Don't even dare, Yoh." Ren warned.

Yoh grinned, "Don't worry, I won't tell. Anyway, is it okay with you guys?"

"Absolutely Yoh." Manta replied at once.

Ryu nodded, "Yeah. Besides, if we put in some love songs into the album, it could help increase our rating."

Ren gave him a nod. Yoh smiled, "Okay, so it's settled then." Yoh wolfed down his first bowl and held it out to Tamao, "Another round, please!" Yoh frowned when he saw Tamao snap out of her thoughts. _'She…she looks sad.'_ He said to himself. "What's wrong, Tamao?"

Tamao, who kept her eyes on the floor, shook her head as she took Yoh's bowl. "Nothing's wrong Yoh." But, as soon as she gave Yoh his bowl back, Tamao looked back at her food with the same troubled look on her face.

"Well, whatever it is, cheer up." Yoh finished his second bowl quickly and stood up. "I'm going out for a while. Ren, can you let Ryu and Manta hear the two songs we recorded? The tape is inside the recorder. I placed it in my room." After receiving a nod from Ren, Yoh walked out of the room. "Coming, Amidamaru?" He asked his guardian ghost.

"Sure, Yoh." Amidamaru came to him and followed Yoh outside. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to look for Anna." Yoh replied. "She said she doesn't want me to send someone to go looking for her so _I'm_ going to look for her." Yoh stood on the spot where he last saw her. "Hm…Can you go check her room if she left anything, Amidamaru?"

With a nod, Amidamaru disappeared and returned immediately. "She left nothing, Yoh."

"Not even the guitar I gave her?"

Amidamaru shook his head, "No guitar."

"Then I'm right. She must be near." Yoh placed a finger on his lips, "She didn't leave with her guitar or with any big luggage either. She left with a small bag. She must've came back one night to pick her other things up. But where could she be?"

"It's nearly sunset, Yoh." Amidamaru told him as they went into the park, "Are you really sure she's just near?"

"She has to be." Yoh sat on a bench and sighed, "I won't stop looking for her, Amidamaru. I never…" Yoh stopped as music came into his ears. He turned around and noticed it was coming from inside the bushes. Curious, Yoh went closer.

"Why don't you try to open up your heart…"

Yoh gasped, _'It's Anna!'_

The two moved closer quietly and listened to her.

"Maybe it's wrong to say please love me too

'Cause I know you'll never do

Somebody else is waiting there inside for you

Maybe it's wrong to love you more each day

'Cause I know she's here to stay

But I know to whom you should belong

Oh….

I believe what you said to me

We should set each other free

That's how you want it to be

But my love

Gets stronger than before

I want to see you more and more

But you closed your door…"

Yoh had never heard her sing. He had only heard her play the guitar. He sighed softly. It seemed to him that her voice was so beautiful…like an angel's voice singing a glorious melody. He could listen to her sing for the rest of his life. And that song…wasn't that the theme song in one of her favorite telenovelas?

"Yoh!" Anna exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Yoh suddenly noticed that Anna just found his hiding place. "Anna! I…uh…"

"Urgh!" Anna turned around and stomped away.

"Wait!" Yoh ran after her. He grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, "Listen to me, Anna… I love you…"

Anna's eyes widened but she did not speak. She just stared into his eyes as he stared back into hers. Then it came to her… Anna frowned, "It's not funny, Yoh. Stop joking like that. I know you'll never love me so…so…just forget that I ever loved you! Yeah…that's right…I don't love you anymore so just…leave me alone!" She yanked her arm away and ran from him as fast as she could. She bit her lip as she ran. Even though she wanted to believe him, she knew that it was all a lie.

"Follow her, Amidamaru!" Yoh yelled as he ran after her. He lost track of her when they ran out of the park so he waited for Amidamaru under a tree. Yoh sighed, _'Why would you think I'm joking, Anna? I'm not that kind of person and you know that…'_

The sun had finally set when Amidamaru came back. "I'm sorry, Yoh." Amidamaru apologized, "She summoned some spirits to stall me."

Yoh fell on the ground and hid his face from his guardian ghost, "It's okay, Amidamaru."

That night, Yoh could not help but think about what happened earlier that day. Taking notice of this, Ren, Ryu, and Manta had tried to cheer him up a bit. But they failed and gave up for the night. Amidamaru tried to talk to Yoh but it seemed that Yoh was too deep in thought to even listen.

It was probably midnight and Yoh went outside to stare at the bright full moon. His memories sped through his mind as the same words echoed in his head. _'I really love you Anna.'_ Among all of his friends, Anna was probably the only one who knows him the best. After all, they did grow up together. She had witnessed him grow up and change into a much mature person than before. She knows what triggers his anger and what he did whenever his was nervous or sad. She would have known that he wasn't joking about his feelings.

"_I don't love you anymore…"_

Yoh tucked his knees under his chin and hugged his legs. "You don't love me anymore, Anna? But…I love you. I'm sorry because I'm so stupid to not notice it until now. Please forgive me Anna… I'm sorry I just realized now that…that you mean so much to me… Please don't say that you don't love me anymore…" Yoh took his eyes away from the moon and looked at the ground. His heart ached as Anna's words echoed in his mind. He felt as if an awfully heavy weight was crushing him. He felt as if he could just die knowing that she doesn't love him anymore.

"You said I was free to love, Anna…" He whispered, "And I chose freely to love you…" He buried his head into his knees and shut his eyes tight wishing that this was all a nightmare. But, unfortunately, it wasn't.

"_I don't love you anymore…"_

_

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**A/N: **Keep reading >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


	6. F2L Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shaman King!

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**Chapter 6**

For three days, Yoh remained deep in thought and barely talked to any of his friends. No matter how hard he tried, the agony that he was feeling now couldn't be masked by his usual grins and laughter. He did have a need to talk to someone about it. But he felt that the only one who he needed to talk to was Anna herself.

Bason and Amidamaru went out one day to look for Anna. But, as Yoh had expected, Anna had moved into another place…a place far away from him perhaps. Yoh's friends grimaced as they saw the look on Yoh's face when Bason and Amidamaru came back. But they still sent their guardian ghosts to look for her. They promised that they would not stop until they found Anna. It brightened Yoh's mood up a bit but it wasn't enough.

"Jun, don't just send one kyonshii!" Ren once yelled into the phone. "Send all of them!"

Ryu looked at the Dead Enders, "We have to find Anna for Yoh, guys. Does anybody have any clue where she might be?"

"She must be far away from this place." One of them said, "And probably far away from the places where we expect her to be."

Ryu stood up, "Then we have to go into the wide open road to look for her. Let's go, guys!"

"Mick and I didn't find her." Chocolove told them as he slumped on a chair. "Sorry."

"I don't know why but…" Lyserg shrugged his shoulders, "…for a few minutes, she's somewhere near here then she would be somewhere else like in the next town or something."

Silva sighed, "I'm sorry but I didn't find her."

"We flew to nearby cities and she wasn't there!" The spirit bird on Silva's shoulder said, "If this was a game of hide and seek then she sure would've won the game!"

"Be quiet!" Pirika glared at the bird, "You're going to wake up everyone!" She turned to Silva, "Horo-Horo and Cory just came back too. They didn't have any luck either."

Yoh was listening to them whenever they reported their daily search. A soft sigh escaped into the night. Everyone, including himself, had been searching for her but they turned out empty for the past few days. It was as if she just disappeared. There was no other explanation. The spirits had been searching far places and she still wasn't seen. Could it really be possible for her to disappear like that?

For the millionth time, he was tempted to use his shaman powers to find her. But he thought he should respect her "request"…. "_And don't even think about sending some great spirit to go looking for me."_

'_What if I don't find her?'_ He thought again and again, _'What if she moved to another country? Or changed her name? If he did find her, what if she loves somebody else? What if he only finds a body…What if she's dead!' _Yoh clenched his fists hoping that those things would never happen.

He closed his eyes and listened to the rustling of leaves, _'Anna…'_

"I brought you some tea, Yoh." Tamao said from behind him.

Yoh turned his head and looked at her, "Thanks, Tamao. You could just leave it there." Without another word, he looked back at the ground hoping that she would leave him in silence. But, instead of walking away, Tamao sat down beside him and said the words he had never thought he would hear from her.

"We need to talk."

This surprised Yoh a bit. He looked at her and saw her trying to get enough courage to talk. She had never asked him to talk…in a serious tone. Judging by the look on her face, this was hard for her to do. "What do you want to talk about, Tamao?" Yoh asked.

"I…I'm worried about you, Yoh." Her voice trembled as she spoke, "Ever since you saw Anna at the park, you changed! You barely ate and talked. You go out early in the morning and come back late in the night. And you practically never sleep! Look, I know Anna's a very special friend to you but you shouldn't treat yourself like this!"

For a while, he remained quiet with his mouth slightly open. But, as soon as her words began to sink into him, he looked away from her. "I want to find her, Tamao. I don't care what happens to me as long as I find her."

"You really love her, do you?" She asked as she looked at the ground letting the shadows of her hair cover her eyes.

"With all my heart." Yoh replied, "She's not just a special friend…she's everything to me. I will love her until the end. That's why I won't stop looking for her."

"You still love her even when she had already told you that she doesn't love you anymore?" Tamao bit her lip to stop it from trembling. The same jealousy filled her and tears began to form on her eyes.

Yoh scowled. "She didn't mean to say that." He added in his mind, _'I hope.'_

"Are you sure?" She asked. She was looking at him now. "How sure are you that she still loves you? That she just told you a lie?" She waited for an answer but he remained silent. Tamao's lip trembled once more, "She doesn't want you to find her, Yoh. That only means one thing: she doesn't love you anymore. Look at the situation more carefully, Yoh! Why doesn't she want to be found? The reason's pretty obvious! And look at what she's done to you! She made you look like a fool looking for a person who will never be found! She made all of us look like fools! Why don't you just give up Yoh?"

"Because I don't want to!" Yoh glared at her, "I don't want to stop looking for her! I don't care if she doesn't love me anymore! _I_ love her! And, as long as I do, I will not stop until she's back here beside me! Okay, I may be a fool but at least I'm a fool who follows his heart! My heart tells me to never give up, Tamao! And I intend to follow it!"

"But what if your heart is wrong?" Tamao yelled back, "Do you still intend to follow it?"

"My heart is never wrong!" Realizing that his temper was rising, Yoh looked away from her and sighed. "Why are you saying all these things, Tamao?" He asked as calm as he could.

"I already told you, Yoh. I'm worried." Her voice dropped into a whisper as she leaned closer to him. "You must've already noticed, Yoh…I love you." Yoh looked at her with wide eyes. It was a big mistake because Tamao took the chance and kissed him. Yoh's eyes opened wider.

Yoh wanted to push her away but he couldn't lift his hands to do it. He had once wanted this to happen. But that was before…it was different now. He loves Anna now not Tamao. But why did he feel like he was enjoying the feeling of her lips on his? _'Anna…'_ He whispered in his mind, _'I have to stop this.'_ Slowly placing his hands on her shoulders, he pulled away…crushing Tamao's dreams into dust.

"Yoh…" Tamao tried to kiss him again but Yoh kept his distance away from her.

"No, Tamao…" He shook his head, "This isn't right. You can't just go around kissing people who doesn't love you."

"But Yoh…" Tamao looked away as tears ran down her eyes, "Why can't you just love me instead of Anna?"

"I did, Tamao." He tried to catch her eye, "I mean, I thought I did. I thought it was love but it wasn't. It was just a stupid crush…a feeling that seemed to have already disappeared. I'm sorry, Tamao…" He gave her an apologetic look but it only made her cry even more.

"I…I…" Tamao sniffed back some of her tears, "I thought you loved me back, Yoh… I thought you did when we watched that movie with Manta. When you comforted me throughout the movie, I thought…I thought…"

"You're my friend, Tamao." Yoh explained, "And you were trembling in fear. I couldn't just let you sit there and be scared to death. I loved you only as a friend back then and… I also had this crush on you. But I have never _loved _you. I just _liked_ you…"

She didn't let him continue. Tamao stood up and ran towards her room. Yoh looked as she disappeared into the darkness but he didn't follow her. He would only hurt her more than he had already.

Turning around and looking at the ground again, Yoh placed his fingers on his mouth. It wasn't exactly his first kiss. But it was the first kiss he had ever received now that he's learned to love and all. He had once hoped to kiss Tamao but the desire had already dissolved into oblivion. He sighed and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He vowed to pretend it didn't happen.

He closed his eyes again and sighed as he listened to the leaves dancing against the wind.

Yoh stared at the ceiling a few minutes later as he lied down on his futon. He could still see Tamao's teary face. No matter how hard he tried to push the image to the back of his mind, he just couldn't help but feel a small hint of guilt in his heart. She was crying because of him.

"_I thought you loved me back, Yoh…"_

He suddenly wondered what would have happened if he chose Tamao. Yoh rubbed his eyes, _'Get out of my head! You're only making things worse for me!'_

'_I have to think of something else!'_

He placed his fingers on his mouth once more. He forced himself to think of who his first kiss was. The childhood memory lightened him up a bit.

_A six-year-old Yoh woke up gleefully that day as he planned to take Anna beside the lake. Even though his mother irritated him by making him wear the clothes she had just made, a smile was still on his face. Yoh was sure nothing could spoil his day today not even the crazy outfit he was wearing. Today would be perfect._

_But he was wrong. _

_As soon as he ran out of the house after breakfast, Anna was already there sitting under a large oak tree with her parents behind her. They had been waiting for him. Yoh wondered why there was a frown on Anna's face, "Hey, Anna! What's the matter?"_

_She looked up at her parents who gave her a nod before walking towards the house. She looked after them and waited until her parents were inside. Tears made their way up to her eyes as she looked at Yoh._

_Yoh ran to her and sat in front of her. "What's the matter, Anna?" He asked again._

"_Your grandmother said I should stop playing with you for a while." Anna sniffed, "She said I won't be seeing you for a few months."_

_Yoh's mouth fell open, "But…why?"_

"_She said I'm going to start training to be an…an...i…" Anna struggled to remember the word. "…an i-ta-ko. She said I have to be dis…disciplined to be one. That's why she won't let me play with you for a while."_

_Yoh's heart fell, "No!"_

_Anna nodded, "I…I'm sorry…" Without warning, she threw her arms around him and began to sob. "I'm going to m-miss you, Y-Yoh!"_

_Tears also began to stream down his eyes, "Anna…Anna!" Both of them cried in each others arms. It was only for a few months but…a few months, Yoh thought, are way too long._

_About an hour after, Anna's parents were asking Anna to stand up and say her goodbye to Yoh. At first, she refused to let go of him and he did the same. They shouted that they do not want to separate. But, in the end, they had to. Their tears turned into sniffles as they helped each other stand up._

"_I'm going to miss you, Yoh." Anna said once more._

"_Same here, Anna." Yoh hugged her again but, this time, he didn't cry on her shoulder._

"_G-goodbye, Y-yoh…" Anna tried to smile but failed. Instead, she turned around and walked towards her parents. Yoh caught her arm and pulled her back._

_Yoh scratched his cheek and looked at the ground, "Take care of yourself, Anna. Goodbye…" Then, he brought himself to do a small move he always see his parents do; he pecked her lips with his. He stared at her for a while with his cheeks scarlet. And, without a word, he ran away back into his house._

The look that was on her face was priceless. He had wished to see her like that again when she came back but…the training his grandmother gave her had changed her. Before, he wished that she didn't receive the training at all. But, today, he realized that the change made him love her more.

"_I don't love you anymore…"_

"_I don't care if she doesn't love me anymore! _I_ love her!"_

He nodded. Yeah, that's right. It doesn't matter if she still loves him or not. All that matters is that he loves her and he could never live a blissful life without her. He placed his hand over his heart. _'This heart finally realized who it really loves. It chose you, Anna. _I _chose you. And I will continue loving you…mark my words.'_

The horrifying thoughts came back into his mind. He bit his lip, _'I have to start looking at the brighter side.'_

Yoh sighed for the thousandth time that night and sat up. He looked around his dark room and smiled when he found a few pieces of paper on his desk. Taking his guitar with him, he walked towards it and sat down on the floor. He took one of the pencils that was scattered under the desk and scribbled on top of a piece of paper; Anna.

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**A/N:** I'll make another update tomorrow but it might be the last for now. My next update (aside from tomorrow) might be next month or two weeks from now. Next week monday is my first day in school so I might be busy. Anyway...I hope you guys liked the updates. I don't really know how YOh and Anna were as kids so I just made it up. Please review!


	7. F2L Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shaman King.

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**Chapter 7**

Ren blinked in surprise, "Pirika? What are you doing out here?" Pirika looked up at him with weary eyes. She looked as if she was sitting on the front porch all night. Ren cringed, _'Was she waiting for me?'_

She covered her mouth as she yawned. "I was waiting for you." Pirika stood up but, since she stayed up all night, she nearly fell forward. Ren caught her immediately.

"Have you lost your mind?" Ren said as he placed her arm around his shoulders and began to lead her back into the house. "It's almost four in the morning! You should've known I will come back late! Why did you wait for me?"

"I was worried…about you…" Pirika muttered as she closed her eyes drowsily and leaned on him, "I…wanted to see you…come back safely…"

Ren blushed as Pirika's head fell sideward and was now on his shoulder. His heart began to beat faster. "Really?"

"Mm-hm…" Pirika nodded slightly.

Ren stopped and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. "Thank you…" Slowly, he reached down and lifted her up. He stood there carrying her in his arms as she buried her face on his neck. It seemed that she had fallen asleep. Ren couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her nestled in his arms. Ren lowered his head and rubbed the side of his face against her blue hair. _'I've waited for so long to carry you like this, Pirika.'_ He said in his mind, _'I just didn't think I would have a chance to do so today.'_

"Bason," Ren looked up at his guardian ghost, "I'll see you later." Bason nodded and disappeared.

Pirika was surprisingly light so it was easy taking her to her room. The only hard part was opening the door without putting her down. He grimaced as he entered the room and placed Pirika gently on her futon. _'I hope Horo-Horo's snores wouldn't wake Pirika up.'_ He thought as he glared at Pirika's brother.

'_Sleep tight, Pirika.'_ He said through his mind as he tucked her safely in her futon. When he was about to stand up, Pirika surprised him by grabbing his arm and pulling him back on the floor. _'I see…'_ Ren sat down again and placed his hand on her arm, _'You're still awake, aren't you?'_

"Don't go yet, Ren…" Pirika murmured.

"Okay…I won't." He told her softly. Ren moved his hand from her arm to her cheek and he brushed away a few strands of her hair, "Just go to sleep. You've been up all night."

Again, Pirika gave him a small nod. Silence took over them for a while. Only Horo-Horo's loud snores could be heard. Ren thought she had finally fallen asleep when she opened her mouth once more. "Ren?"

"What is it Pirika?" He leaned closer to hear her voice more clearly.

"You'll still be there when I wake up, right?"

If he had followed his instincts, Ren would have said what a stupid question it was. He has to sleep too. And he obviously can't sleep there in their room. Horo-Horo will throw a fit! But…if that will make her happy...

"Of course I'll still be here." He assured her. Ren took her hand and held it tight. She held tight too. Both of them were afraid to let go.

It wasn't long before Pirika's hand relaxed. Ren was sure that she had already fallen asleep now. He decided to stay for a while to admire how peaceful she looked. '_She looks more beautiful when she's awake.'_ He thought as he caressed her cheek once more.

Ren yawned, _'I wish I could stay but…I too have to catch up with my sleep. I'll just come back here before she wakes up. Great. That means I have only a few hours to sleep if I want to keep my word. '_ He slowly let go of her hand and stood up. He continued to gaze at her before he kneeled and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Pirika…" He whispered. He stood up and smiled at her. _'I'll be back before you wake up…promise.'_ With a sigh, he walked out of the room and closed the door gently.

"I saw that."

Ren jumped and turned to see Yoh leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The sudden need to sleep suddenly disappeared from him. Ren's cheeks turned red again and he turned around to hide them. "W-what do you mean?" He stuttered.

"I know you know what I saw, Ren." Yoh said as a smirk appeared on his lips. "You carried Pirika all the way up to her room, stared at her for what seemed like ages, _and_ kissed her goodnight."

Ren bit his lip, "S-so what? I already told you I like her, didn't I!"

Yoh shrugged and headed his way towards the stairs, "I was just telling you that I saw you. You don't need to get mad or anything. Do you want to have some tea, Ren?" He added.

Forgetting that he was supposed to be sleeping now, Ren followed Yoh. "Uh…sure."

"So Ren…" Yoh handed his friend a steaming cup of tea a few minutes later, "Are you planning to tell her when she wakes up?"

Ren gave him a quizzical look, "Tell her what?"

Yoh rolled his eyes.

"Oh." Ren looked down at his cup and saw the image of a sleeping Pirika inside it. "I don't know…"

"Well, if you ask me, you should tell her as soon as she wakes up." Yoh emptied his cup before speaking again. "It would be perfect if she sees you still beside her when she opens her eyes. I'll even drag Horo-Horo out of the room if you want to." He added with a grin on his face.

Ren looked at him with his mouth open. He had never expected to see Yoh's grin so soon. Not at a time like this. Not when Anna's still missing… Maybe she's not missing anymore. Maybe Anna's already back in her room sleeping…or maybe not. "Yoh…is A—?"

"No…Anna's not here yet." Yoh told him as he poured himself more tea. He glanced at Ren's puzzled expression, "I could see in your face what you're thinking about."

Ren drank from his cup, "Then you must already know what I'm going to ask you next."

"Well, what Anna said still hurts a lot but…" He looked down at his cup and rubbed his thumb against it. "But I have to stop looking so down, you know?" Ren opened his mouth to speak but Yoh wasn't done yet. "Remember the time before all this Anna stuff happened? I was always optimistic and I always kept in mind that every cloud has a silver lining. It's time for me to be like that again. I'm still going to look for her…I just have to stop thinking of negative things. I should look at the brighter side. I should always think that I would find her…that she still loves me…"

Ren gave Yoh a reassuring smile, "We will find her, Yoh."

Yoh gave him a weak smile and nodded. "So…shall I drag Horo-Horo out of their room as soon as he gets up?" he asked, changing the subject.

His friend nodded, "That would be great, Yoh."

For the next few hours, Ren and Yoh spent their time outside practicing for their recording session. Yoh even played his new songs. Ren had to catch up with Yoh's singing. Horo-Horo woke up just after sunrise and was immediately dragged out of the room by Yoh. After explaining everything to him (and after he had a short "talk" with Ren), they shoved Ren inside Pirika's room and locked him in.

He looked down at his hands. Should he sit on a chair or should he just sit here on the floor beside her futon? Should he prop his head on his hand? Should he pretend to be asleep? Would he look like as if he had never left her side? Oh no, she pushed her blanket away. Should he place it over her again? Or should he just leave it there? Ren took the blanket and replaced it over her. She caught his hand and she pulled him down to the floor.

"Horo-Horo…" She muttered in her sleep, "Where are you going? I want to come with you…" Her hand began to tighten around Ren's wrist, "I want to see…" Her voice faded away.

He began to wonder who Pirika wanted to see. Could it be him? Nah…maybe not. But who could it be? Pirika's hand began to let go. He hesitated to slip his hand away but… _'Argh! Stop it, Ren._' He slowly slipped his hand away from her.

Ren yawned as he waited for Pirika to wake up. It was just now that he realized that he hadn't slept a wink last night. He began to blame Yoh for not letting him sleep all night. Oh well, he wouldn't be able to sleep with Yoh singing in the next room. Besides, he had to wait for Pirika to wake up.

He glanced at the clock. It was half an hour before lunch now and Pirika was still sleeping. He had been waiting for almost five hours now. Ren sighed. He was so tired from his search last night. His voice was aching from thirst. His eyelids were beginning to drop. And his whole body was begging him to sleep!

"Ren…"

Ren blinked away his drowsiness and grabbed her hand which was searching for his touch. "Yes, Pirika, I'm still here…" He told her.

She sat up in surprise, shrieked, and slapped Ren on the cheek. Pirika blinked as she began to realize that she had just sent Ren flying across the room. "Ren! Y-you're still here!"

Ren gritted his teeth as he jumped up to his feet. "What's the matter with you!" He yelled at her. "I…I was doing you a favor by staying here waiting for you to wake up and you repay with me this!" He pointed the red mark on his cheek.

"A favor!" Pirika yelled back, "I didn't ask you to wait for me to wake up!"

"Don't you remember asking 'you'll still be there when I wake up, right'?" Ren crossed his arms, "You should be thankful because, for your information, I didn't sleep a wink!"

She opened her mouth to yell back but she closed it again as she realized what Ren had said. "You stayed here all morning?" She asked softly.

"Er…no." Ren lowered the volume of his voice too. "I had a practice with Yoh and I just came back here when the sun rose up."

"But…why didn't you just sleep instead?"

"Uh…" Ren sat down again and looked down at his hands. His palms were getting sweaty. "I…I needed to tell you something, that's why."

"Well, whatever it is you need to tell could've waited after you got some sleep." She sighed, "But, since it seems really important, you can tell me now."

Ren suddenly felt color starting to rise up in his cheeks.

"…_you should tell her as soon as she wakes up…It would be perfect…"_

'_Yeah…p-perfect…'_ Ren stuttered in his thoughts. _'What's it going to be, Ren?'_ He asked himself, _'Either tell her now or wait for another opportunity…'_ He had to make a choice and fast. If he doesn't tell her now, the next chance he'll get will probably ages from now.

"_You should tell her at once…before you lose her…"_

Yoh was right. He has to tell her before she leaves or…before she announces that she has a boyfriend. He thought of Yoh's situation and frowned. He doesn't want to end up like Yoh._ 'I'm afraid to lose her…' _Ren admitted, _'I don't want to experience the pain Yoh felt. I don't want to suffer. Yoh may be able to handle the pain but I know I could not.'_ He bit his lip, _'I have to tell her…NOW!'_

"Uh…Ren?" Pirika waved her hand in front of his face, "Earth to Ren! Are you still there?"

Ren snapped his head back up making Pirika lose her balance and fall backwards. "Sorry about that." He apologized and held out his hand to help her sit back up.

To his dismay, she didn't take it and sat up on her own. "It's okay, Ren. Now what is it you want to tell me?"

"I…um…er…" Ren gulped and took a deep breath. How can he tell her? He found himself lost for words. A simple 'I love you' would never do. He needs to tell her more than that. He needs to tell her how much she means to him…how much he cares for her. He needs to tell her that he doesn't want to lose her…that he always wants to be with her. Ren gritted his teeth, _'What am I going to say?'_

"Uh…Ren?"

"Be quiet!" He snapped, "I'm trying to think!"

'_Great.' _Ren said sarcastically in his mind, _'The "perfect" moment and I had to snap.'_

Pirika frowned, "Well, hurry up! I haven't got all day!"

'_Come on, Ren! Tell her!'_ Ren looked down at his hands again. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. _'Now or never…'_

"I like you…" He blurted out.

Pirika's eyes widened, "Ren—."

"What I mean to say is…I like you more than a friend, Pirika." He began to look at her, "I l-love you… I thought I was crazy at first but…it's true. I couldn't stop thinking about you… I couldn't stop worrying about you whenever you left… I even see your face wherever I go! I know you may not love me back because we always fight but… I really couldn't stop loving you." He sighed and stared at her stunned expression. _'There…I finally said it…' _He looked down again, _'I must've looked like a complete idiot to her.'_

"Ren."

He looked up at her and his mouth fell open when Pirika threw her arms around him. "P-pirika!"

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words from you, Ren!" Pirika cried. "I love you! I would have told you that first but I couldn't find the courage to do so and you were always getting angry at me so I got the thought that you don't like me back! I love you too, Ren! And I'm sorry! I'm sorry I kept arguing with you a lot!"

A small smile appeared on Ren's face and he placed a hand on her back, "You don't have to be sorry, Pirika. _I_ am the one who has to be sorry. I did start most of those fights." He placed his other hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer. "I'm also sorry for making you wait for so long."

Pirika smiled. She has never been this happy in all her life. They continued to enjoy each other's presence until…

Ren let out a big and loud yawn.

"You better go to sleep, Ren." Pirika giggled.

"I guess you're right." He slid his arms off her and rubbed his eyes as he yawned once more.

"Sleep on Horo-Horo's futon." She suggested, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Uh…sure." Ren grinned in his head as he imagined Pirika fighting with her brother again.

A few minutes later, Yoh opened the door, "Hey Ren, if…" Yoh stopped as he saw Ren sleeping on Horo-Horo's futon while Pirika was on hers. He smiled when he saw them holding each other's hand. _'Looks like Ren already said it.'_ Yoh went out of the room and softly closed the door behind him. _'I'm happy for you, Ren.'_

Yoh yawned and stretched his arms above his head as he walked around the backyard. "I'm really glad Ren finally told Pirika his feelings." He said to himself, "I haven't seen him smile like that in ages!"

'_Anna…'_ He looked up at the sky and smiled, "I want to see you smile like that. I want to see a smile identical to Ren's on your face. I want to see your face…again… I love you…" He added in a whisper.

A gust of wind blew pass him and he listened to the soft rustling of the leaves... _'Hm?'_ Maybe the wind was a little strong for the bushes. He looked down at them. _'Oh…'_ Yoh looked up at the clouds and gave them a smile.

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**A/N:** I'm really sorry. I don't think this chapter is as good as the former ones. Sorry... But I'll work harder on the next one. Promise! I hope you guys still liked it. Pls. review! 


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